Blessings From God

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Friday, August 25, 2017

Thank you for your support. School has started back and through your giving to the ministry in Mexico, I was able to put 4 kids in school! What a blessing!!

Also, some of our people have gone through some real trials of medical needs. I was able to help one sister in the Lord whose mom had to have half of her leg amputated.Through your support, some of this need was met.

Sister Alberta’s grandson was shot. He is 14 years old. Due to the gang activity in her area, the house she is living in received bullet holes from an attack. She fell sick due to this act of violence and had to have some very expensive medicine to calm her down.I was able to pay for the visit to the medical clinic and provide her with the medication! Thank you for helping in this matter!

One profession of faith this past month!

Sister Martina, a lady in John’s church, had a need for her son who is in bad physical condition due to a brain concussion. He was in need of a wheelchair. That need was also met! Thank you for your faithful giving!

Help us pray for revival again during October 15 –18. We are looking for a great time!Once again, Brother Terry Jones will be preaching.

We are planning to enclose a heater this fall. Also, we are planning to paint our building inside! Thank you for your mission giving to help on these projects!

Thank you for your prayers! I am doing much better this month with my shoulder. I have started driving, for which I am thankful. A great big THANKS to my daughter Rebecca who has unselfishly driven me everywhere these past few months.

Monday, July 24, 2017

I am still recovering from my shoulder operation done on May 19 (my birthday!). Our church waited til I felt a bit better to have a birthday dinner for me. We had Chili Colorado (pork with a red sauce), rice, beans, and salad. There were 65 people in attendance that day!

It has been a rough go since the shoulder operation. The pain has been difficult to manage. I will come through this, however. Continue to pray! The physical therapy has slowed me down a lot! I have one more month (once a week) of therapy left. I am still cautioned not to drive just yet so as to let my shoulder heal completely.

I was struggling with teaching the youth after my operation and one of the young men came to me and asked if he could help me with the youth group. We started with 6 and now have 14. He asked if I could teach him and what a blessing he has been! Pray for Brother Inociencio as I train him for the future as well as for the present. Here is a photo of the youth group quoting Scripture verses.

Although the drug war here in Juárez has picked up, our people are busy each week passing out tracts and inviting friends and neighbors to the services. For this, we have new visitors each week due to this outreach ministry. Please continue to pray for our people who are becoming burdened for the lost! Thanks

Please continue to pray for the

Ortega Baptist Church where my son-in-law John, my daughter

Rebecca, and grandson Jonathan are laboring. They are seeking a national pastor.

Friday, June 23, 2017

Every end of April, Mexico celebrates Kid's Day and it was

such a joy to see children in the church.

There were games, songs, food, and preaching!

In May, my field director from BIMI came to Juárez to preach in our spring meeting. Brother Terry Jones brought some good messages and several hearts were touched!

Also, in May our church celebrated Mother's Day with lots of BBQ and a gift for each mother. The best gift was sharing the Gospel with them!

Apart from 7 being baptized, there were 4 additional professions of faith!

We just celebrated Father's Day last week in our church. The day was filled with preaching, singing, food, and lots of fellowship. Here are just a few of the men that made it in the picture!

The preaching of the cross has really made the devil mad. From without and within, the Word of God has stirred several young Christians up about doctrines. However, they are seeing a new way to live and walk. What a blessing!

I was doing so well this past winter with my health and started having pain in my left shoulder @ March. It took several doctor's appointments, several x-rays, an MRI, shots for pain, and finally a CT scan showed a 3 inch tear in my rotator cuff. On May 19, I had an operation to repair it. I am recovering, but it's painful. A physical therapist comes to the house 3x a week to help me work my arm back into normal activity. I put ice on it frequently and I need to rest it often. I wear a sling when I go out so as to protect the arm from more damage. By the end of July, I should be using my left arm again! Please continue to pray for healing!

1) The healing of my shoulder2) The growth of new converts3) Protection of our people and church building4) Safety as we move about the city of Juárez

May we never forget our country and our freedom. May be never forget Calvary where we are really set free!

Saturday, April 22, 2017

The last blog update was posted in July 2016. A lot has happened since then and I will try to update you on all that has happened. Health:
You may remember that I've had a lot of trouble with degenerative discs in my back. My orthopedic doctor wanted me to try physical therapy instead of more injections last fall. I had a month of aqua therapy in a pool with a physical therapist and thought they were trying to kill me. It was painful, but after a few weeks, I noticed a difference in my pain level for the better. I've not had any major issues with my back since then.

I do, however, have a lot of pain in my left shoulder. The doctor who did surgery on it 13 years ago is looking at it and I have a CT scan with contrast scheduled for next week. An MRI was done, but didn't tell the doctor what he needed to know as far as why I was having so much pain. Please pray we find answers and that it can be repaired. My range of motion is limited due to the pain level.

I've recently had my yearly update with my VA doctor and he was impressed with how well I was doing. He wants me to have my chest x-rayed to make sure that everything is fine there. He also wants me to contact another department in the VA to go over Agent Orange and how the exposure during my time in Vietnam is still affecting me today. I still have swelling and pain, but with the help of medicine and rest, it is mostly under control.

Ministry:
Our church is growing. We've had several professions of faith for salvation and we have a baptism for 5 people coming up soon. We have painted our building, installed air conditionings. Much of the funds have come from the faithful support of churches and individuals who support and pray for the work here in Juárez. We are training men to take part in the services. This past February, our church threw a celebration service for me in honor of my 51 years in the ministry. 46 of them have been as a missionary!

Family:
My grandson is now in college and is enjoying it very much! I don't get to see him as often because even when he's home, he's doing homework. And his mama won't let me disturb him!

This has been a very sad time for me and my family these past few weeks. My sister-in-law passed away with cancer. Rebecca and I drove 27 hours to Georgia to be there for my brother. I was able to preach the service along with my nephew (who is also a preacher) and see all my family. Pray for my brother Carl as this is a trying time for him, his 2 daughters, and son.

Also as we were getting ready to leave GA, I received word that Martina’s husband passed away. Martina is a member of the Ortega Baptist Church. Rebecca and I tried to get back to Mexico in time, but by the time we got home, they had already buried Manuel. It is a sad time for this family as well! Please pray for sister Martina!

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

My dearly beloved and fellow supporters, I have much to update as it has been awhile. I apologize for the length of time in updating this. I have been struggling with health issues and just have not made the time to write. I will try to keep you informed a bit more in the coming months. My back is doing ok at this time, but 3 weeks ago, I had a procedure done on my right knee. I had a tear in my 'medial meniscus' that was giving me trouble. The doctor said it would take 3 months or more to start feeling normal again. My daughter, Rebecca, has been driving me to and from Juárez and around town running errands. I can drive some, but not too often as I need to take strong pain medication right now and am not supposed to drive while medicated! I appreciate all who write encouraging notes and who pray for me. Please pray that I heal quickly as the work must go on.

This past month we had two work days in which we met at 6 am and 7 am. on two Saturdays. It is so hot right now that we wanted to get the extension of the roof done before we got more rain. We had a good group of men out to help!

We are seeing people getting saved not by scores, but one by one!

If plan A in your life does not work, don’t forget that there are 25 more letters to choose from!

Stay Positive

The harvest fields are before us! It seems that there are not enough hours sometimes in the day to get everything done!Pray that I will use my time wisely and prayerfully as I work among the Spanish people in Juárez, Mexico.

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

I had the joy of hosting my field director, Bro. Terry Jones, in October. He preached a week long revival and did a little manual labor as well! New lights were installed in the church kitchen as well as molding around the ceiling. We had one person saved that week and hearts were renewed for Christ. We had a visitor during the revival who had received a tract while visiting two years ago! He had saved it and while visiting family in Juárez, came to see us.It pays to visit, pray, and knock on doors! Amen!

BIBLES FOR OUR CHURCH

I want to thank the First Baptist Church of Lafayette, CO who has supplied more than enough funds to purchase a Bible for every man, woman, and child in our church. Also, another source of Bibles came from B.I.M.I. through Bro. Jones, my field director. What a blessing to have Bibles for a very long time. I will be planning a 'Bible Sunday' real soon to distribute these into the hands of our people.

PRAYER REQUESTS

Please pray for this young couple who is growing in the Lord. I had the joy of winning them

to Christ and baptizing them. Manuel is adjusting to his new life in Christ and his new life outside prison walls. Neither of them know anything about the Bible, so it is a joy to watch them as others help them find chapters and verses during the preaching service.

Please keep praying for my health. I just received a new set of injections in my back two weeks ago, and at present, am doing well. My doctor is preparing for a radio frequency ablation for the next time my back 'gives out'. Along with degenerative discs, I have arthritis in my back that sure can complicate things for me. I don't have time for this! I am thankful for a good doctor who cares and who is helping me. My daughter Rebecca drives me around when I cannot due to pain. She drives me to doctor appointments, over to Juárez and back, and wherever I need to go. Most of the time, I am independent, but when the medicine runs out in my back, she takes over and is my chauffeur.

PLEASE PRAY - The violence in the city has picked up and there have been several shootings in the area around our church. We are watchful and we listen to the news often. My associate, Luis, keeps me informed and warns me when it might be too dangerous for me to cross. So far, our church people are not feeling panicked, so if they don't panic, I don't! They are watchful of me and keep me informed of the activities that might affect my family or the church.

Thank you to my supporters. I could not do what I do without your prayers and financial support. I want to wish each of you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

This summer has been busy with church growth and new converts. This past Sunday, eight people followed the Lord in baptism. We've waited a while to see these souls saved and come to the personal knowledge of our Lord and Savior. To see these follow in baptism was a joy. Please pray for these people as they continue to grow! It is so exciting to see what God is doing in their hearts! The baptism was an exciting event in our church - and the water wasn't too cold! Amen.

The next step in their spiritual growth is showing them the Lord's Supper.

As cooler weather comes to the Borderland, our plans are to go beyond our area to flea markets, other colonials, and new housing developments with the Gospel.

We have the men now, thousands of tracts, and invitations to go beyond. By the Spirit and Power of God, we can do it! Please pray with us about this.

Health Update:

Thank you so much for your prayers concerning my health. This past month, I had 6 more shots to relieve the pain in my back. I am doing better at present, and going full speed. Because I have degenerative discs, I will need another set of injections sometime before the next year. For now, I'm kicking the devil in the shin!

About Me

I have been in the ministry for 51 years and have been a missionary for 46 of those years. Peru, South America, was my first mission field and throughout my years, I have worked in New England with a bilingual work, and have worked and am working now in the city of Juárez, Mexico.
My son-in-law, my oldest daughter, and my 20 year old grandson are working here with me. They are working in La Iglesia Bautista Ortega in another colony, keeping a work I started in 1992 going.